Ice Cream Sandwiches Your Way — Weekend Cookout

Related To:

Super Cool: Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Food stylist: Stephana Bottom

Photo by: Jonathan Kantor

Jonathan Kantor

Wrapped in paper and featuring the deliciously classic combination of a chocolate cookie exterior and cool vanilla center, store-bought ice cream sandwiches are a timeless summer treat. But there are indeed more ways to celebrate ice cream sandwiches than the original, especially when you think way beyond those chocolate and vanilla bars and commit to making your own signature creations at home.

Cherry-Almond Croissants

2133_Food_Ntwrk_Bread&Crackers_009_1Rt1.tif

Food stylist: Stephana Bottom

Photo by: Jonathan Kantor

Jonathan Kantor

The key to making successful ice cream sandwiches is combining flavors that you know work well together, like peanut butter and jelly or chocolate and bananas. Start with your favorite ice cream flavor — no need to make it from scratch, as any grocery store brand will do. Then look to complement it with two shells; cookies are a traditional pick, but other treats like doughnuts, crackers and sweet breads transform the sandwich into something extra special.

Food Network Magazine created a collection of frozen concoctions — Super Cool: Ice Cream Sandwiches — that features inventive sandwich-inspired twists, like Cherry-Almond Croissants (pictured right), Coffee and Doughnuts and Chocolate-Banana Bread. Check out these photos to learn how to craft these desserts and more at home. No matter what ingredients you choose to use, Food Network Magazine notes that it's important to "freeze your base before assembling" and to "freeze sandwiches at least 1 hour before serving." This will give the ice cream a chance to solidify, so that it doesn't turn into a melted mess when you eat it.

Side Dish: Three-Bean Salad 

This summer, Food Network’s Grilling Central is packed with recipes for the entire family’s taste buds, boasting the best in burgers, dogs, chicken and more all season long. But with so many recipes, where do you start? Each weekend, FN Dish is giving you a complete fuss-free menu.

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